In a match-up between the Eastern League's two first place teams, Akron right-hander Will Roberts filled the role of stopper, hurling six innings and allowing just one run to lead Akron to a 6-1 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs in the series opener at Canal Park on Friday.

Indians first basement Nick Swisher completed a rehab appearance at Double-A Akron this week and was activated by the Indians on Thursday in Boston. But the impression he left on the players in Akron and the sincere love of the game he shows was something to take in and witness firsthand, which is exactly what the IBI's Hayden Grove did. He sat down and talked to Swisher about his Akron experience and more...

Nights like Clint Frazier had on Thursday have not come as frequently as we would like for the center fielder so far in 2014, but while Frazier is struggling a bit this year, putting up big stats this season is not the real goal. It is more important right now for Frazier to learn about the grind that is the minor league season, just like another top prospect a few years ago with. Join Jim Piascik as he explains Frazier's situation in more detail, breaks down Carlos Moncrief's recent surge, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Akron RubberDucks looked to be in good shape through four innings with a 1-0 lead, but the wheels came off when they were down by a run going into the seventh. The Binghamton Mets scored eight runs in that frame alone to pave the way for a 11-3 victory. Akron was outhit, 14-8, in the loss.

The Akron RubberDucks won a series at New Britain, taking two out of three from the Rock Cats. The team then lost two out of three to the Senators in Harrisburg. Tuesday, the team was swept in a double-header by the Binghamton Mets. Akron has now dropped five of their last nine games. The IBI's Spencer Davies recaps the week that was for Akron in his latest notebook...

Nick Swisher and the energy he brings to everything he does was back in Canal Park Wednesday for the second straight night as the first baseman continued his rehab assignment. After a bit of a down game Tuesday, Swisher looked the part of a major leaguer, lining two doubles and totaling three hits. Jim Piascik was there Wednesday and spoke with Swisher, along with other coaches and players, about the state of his knee and how ready the first baseman is to rejoin the big league roster. Join Jim as he details Swisher's night and recaps the rest of the action in the system as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Akron RubberDucks managed to tally 16 hits, but still lost, 12-6, to the Binghamton Mets Wednesday. Three different RubberDucks tallied three hits in the game, but the scoring touch wasn't there when it mattered most, even though the team finished five for 15 with runners in scoring position. Binghamton tallied 12 hits in its winning effort.

Nick Swisher coming into Akron on rehab assignment was about the only thing that was exciting about Tuesday night’s first game of a doubleheader, which the RubberDucks dropped 8-1 to the Mets. Binghamton won Game 2 as well, 10-5.

The Akron RubberDucks had the lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but tacked on seven runs in two frames to ensure their victory. Akron bashed the Binghamton Mets for nine hits to score its 10 runs as the RubberDucks drew six walks. RubberDuck starter Duke von Schamann moved to 3-0 on the season after tossing seven frames with four hits and two runs.

Cutter Dykstra, son of former MLB great Lenny, had a double and two RBI in a 4-2 victory at home over the RubberDucks. Harrisburg took two out of three from Akron in this weekend’s series. The game’s first run came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Dykstra hit a sacrifice fly to center field that brought in Michael Taylor, giving the Senators a one-run advantage.

The WAR Room is back again, bringing you the 2014 advanced stats for every Cleveland minor leaguer. After looking at the pitchers last week, today we focus on the hitters. It is still early enough that there is some noise in the numbers, but at this point in the season, we are starting to see some interesting trends emerge. One of those trends is Akron outfielder Tyler Naquin continuing to hit in Double-A and how it is starting to look more sustainable. Join Jim Piascik as he takes you into The WAR Room.

Tyler Naquin slugged an inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning Friday night, one of his three hits on the night, as the Akron RubberDucks defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 5-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Metro Bank Park.

Thursday may have been the day the organization begins adding new players to the organization, but for all of the minor leaguers already in the system, it was just another day. Akron RubberDucks starter Cody Anderson pitched just like he has lately, which is good considering the turnaround the right-hander has undergone recently. Join Jim Piascik as he breaks down Anderson's rebound, Zach McAllister's rehab start, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Akron RubberDucks kept it even through six innings, but ended up losing to the New Britain Rock Cats, 1-0. New Britain took the win after Tony Thomas hit a home run in the seventh inning. Cody Anderson pitched six shutout innings for the RubberDucks, but was slapped with the no decision even though he gave up just three hits and one walk while striking out five.

In today’s Minor Happenings the IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a look at the comeback that right-handed reliever Tyler Sturdevant is making, why he has had so much success this season and where he fits into the Indians’ Major League plans. He also looks at infielder Paul Hendrix’s outstanding month of May and All Star snub, how left-hander Luis Lugo is having an excellent season that many are not even aware he is having and how infielder Audy Ciriaco has been a man of many hats and been one of the Indians better minor league signings at Triple-A in some time.

You know it's a good night offensively on the farm when you average 10 runs per team. Columbus, Akron, and Carolina all went off at the plate Wednesday, scoring runs left and right on the way to victory. Leading the charge in Akron was a familiar face in second baseman Joey Wendle, as the infielder typically makes waves with his bat. Join Jim Piascik as he looks at Wendle's performance, breaks down Yhoxian Medina's effort in Carolina, and much more as he takes you Around the Farm.

The Akron RubberDucks were part of a sweep for Cleveland Indians minor league affiliates Wedneday as they beat the New Britain Rock Cats, 9-6 New Britain managed 11 hits, but still found themselves four behind in that category as seven of nine Akron starters had hits in the game. Matt Packer got the win after giving up four runs on six hits in five innings of work.

A pair of triples from Joe Wendle and Alex Lavisky plated three runs and helped the RubberDucks earn a win on the road at New Britain, 5-3. Akron was the first to get on the board in the top of the third.

The Akron RubberDucks won two series last week, taking two out of three from Baysox on the road and two out of three from the Harrisburg Senators at Canal Park. The highlight of the week was May 29th and 30th, when the RubberDucks scored 26 total runs on 30 hits in just two days. The IBI's Spencer Davies recaps the week that was for Akron in his latest notebook...

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!